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| Founded | 1977 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOC # | TQ0A509J[1] | ||||||
| Operating bases | Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base | ||||||
| Hubs | Ketchikan | ||||||
| Fleet size | 15[2] | ||||||
| Destinations | 16 | ||||||
| Parent company | Venture Travel, LLC | ||||||
| Headquarters | Ketchikan,Alaska,United States | ||||||
| Key people | Brien Salazar, CEO | ||||||
| Website | www.TaquanAir.com | ||||||
Taquan Air is the operating name forVenture Travel, LLC, anAmericanregional airline headquartered inKetchikan, a city in thesoutheastern portion of theU.S. state ofAlaska.[3] It operates domestic scheduled passenger and charter services. Its base isKetchikan Harbor Seaplane Base, which shares the same harbor and airspace asKetchikan International Airport. As per theUnited States Department of Transportation in a report dated August 2, 2010, Taquan Air is a "U.S. Certificated Air Carrier", and is 1 of 125 such carriers in the US.[4]
Taquan Air's heyday was in 1997 when they were the largestfloatplane company in the world and the second largest air commuter service in Alaska, carrying 243,000 passengers that year. In a continuing effort to grow, they soughtFAR part 121 certification, allowing them to carry more than nine passengers on a flight. They achieved certification and began flights in 1998, but the costs of the new venture and economic factors led to the sale of assets and layoffs in 1999. New ownership in 2000 kept the company name alive, and Taquan remains known for their floatplanes.
Taquan Air's flight schedule provides for the delivery of US Mail, and includes service to the fourth-largest island in the US,Prince of Wales Island; and the easternmost town in Alaska,Hyder. An accident in 2007 associated with a raincloud has led to the installation of weather cameras throughout Alaska. Taquan Air, along with other Ketchikan flight services,[5][6] provides "flightseeing" tours over pristineMisty Fjords National Monument, and bear viewings within the Earth's largest remainingtemperate rainforest,Tongass National Forest.
The name "Taquan" is from theTlingit language for "village by the sea", and is also associated with the alternate name forAnnette Island, Taak'w Aan.[7]
The airline was established as Taquan Air Service Incorporated in August 1977, and started out flying an air taxi service between Ketchikan International Airport andMetlakatla onAnnette Island.[8] By 1989 the company was flying seven airplanes with 45 employees,[8] and by 1997 28 planes with 175 employees.
1997 was the year that Kootznoowoo Inc., anAlaska Native Village Corporation forAngoon,[9] became 50% owner,[10] and the same year that the company appeared on the cover of Alaska Business Monthly.[11] At that point they were flying to 30 destinations, they had hubs in both Ketchikan andSitka, and by flying toBritish Columbia, they had become an international air carrier. Taquan was now the largestfloatplane company in the world,[12] and the second largest commuter airline in Alaska, having boarded 243,000 people in 1997.
This was when Taquan decided to expand fromFAR 135 air taxi operation toFAR 121 airline operation.[12][13] After spending a year to become FAR 121 certified, and buying a couple of British AerospaceJetstream 32's, the new service was branded as AirOne. Themayor ofJuneau helped launch the new venture in March by dedicating one of the planes asThe Spirit of Juneau.[14] AirOne commenced operation on June 1, 1998,[15][16] and began non-stop service from Ketchikan toJuneau. Another route connectedCanadian Airlines' hub atPrince Rupert Airport in British Columbia withAlaska Airlines' flights at Ketchikan.
But Taquan Air experienced its first fatal crash with a passenger in August 1998.[17] A new CEO was chosen for Kootznoowoo in July, who had to deal with a "precipitous decline" (Juneau Empire)[18] in the company's outlook. The new CEO foreshadowed future events with the announcement at the shareholders meeting in October 1998, "there is less capital available for new investments."[19] The costs of FAR 121 certification and a slump in the lumber industry[20][21] led to the AirOne operation ceasing on February 14, 1999.[22] Taquan Air liquidated assets and closed their Sitka hub.[23]
Kootznoowoo Inc., acquired full ownership of the company on November 1, 1999,[24][25] and at the end of December 1999 laid off most or 80 of their workers[26][27] along with stopping flights to 20 communities.[28] The downsizing at Taquan Air dampened the regional economy.[26][29][30] TheJuneau Empire wrote about the economic effect onPrince of Wales Island (pop. 6000[28]), which is the fourth-largest island in theUS,
The loss of Taquan flights comes at a bad time for Prince of Wales Island, said Tom Briggs, city administrator for Craig. State ferry service for the island was recently reduced to one day a week to save money. "Without a reasonable transportation base, the island's going to be damaged, the economy's going to be damaged and lifestyle's going to be damaged," Briggs said...Blood samples taken at the clinic must be thrown out if they can't get to the lab in Ketchikan on time...The Craig City Council is asking the governor for assistance in the form of increased ferry service.[28]
Flights continued only for government contracts while the ownership looked for a buyer, which occurred in April 2000 (see below).[28] By 2001, Kootznoowoo had divested all of its operating companies, including both the aviation and the timber businesses, and had become a holding company.[31]
The general manager for Taquan between 1997 and 2000 had come on board when Taquan acquired the assets of his family's business, Ketchikan Air.[32][33] He now created a company Venture Travel, LLC. Venture Travel, LLC acquired assets from Taquan in April 2000, including five planes, the name, and the lease in Ketchikan.[27] Taquan Air gained business with U.S. Postal Service contracts for mail routes servingHyder,Hydaburg, andBehm Canal.[27] Scheduled passenger flights resumed in 2001, also, the airline was awarded theU.S. Forest Service Air Service Contract in both 2000[27] and 2003[34] and continues to hold a U.S. Forest Service contract.[35][36] In October 2007, Taquan moved into a new terminal and hangar building,[7] close to the east terminus of theferry[37] to theKetchikan International Airport. The company is now flying to 16 destinations.
Taquan Air first moved into the spotlight in 1990, when the company's growth and development led to the owner's selection as Alaska Small Business Person of the Year, a selection made by the Alaska office of theU.S. Small Business Administration. In May 1990, the owner was honored inWashington, D.C. at theWhite House.[38][39]
Taquan Air participated in a voluntary industry effort in Alaska to improve airline safety called the Medallion Foundation awards. SenatorTed Stevens (R, Alaska) was a decorated World War II pilot who later became floatplane qualified, and who was instrumental in establishing and providing congressional support for the Medallion Foundation.[40] By 2009, Taquan was one of seven airlines out of 37 operating in Alaska to receive all five stars in the program. Senator Stevens presented awards to Taquan in 2005 and 2008.[41][42]
On July 24, 2007, a Taquan Air tour flight, operating a float-equippedde Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and carrying the pilot and four passengers from a cruise ship, impacted mountainous terrain with no survivors.[43][44] An estimate is that in 2007, 900,000 cruise-ship tourists visitedKetchikan.[45] At the time of this accident, Taquan had commitments regarding sightseeing with each of the cruise lines serving Ketchikan.[46] According to the AP, the cruise line that had booked the tourists severed ties with Taquan after the accident for the remainder of 2007.[47][48]
TheNational Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the accident and issued a report on July 31, 2008, finding that the primary cause of the crash was pilot misjudgment, but that inadequate supervision of the flight tour industry in southeast Alaska by theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) also contributed to the event.[49] The Board issued four recommendations. The first of these four recommendations, A-08-59, was to install weather cameras on the air tour routes within theMisty Fjords National Monument. Recommendation A-08-60 was to establish monthly ground and en route inspections of air tour flights to observe and enforce safe flying practices. Recommendation A-08-61 was to develop cue-based training for commercial air tour pilots in responding to changing local weather conditions. A-08-62 first needed the completion of A-08-61, and recommended that pilots be required to take the training.[45]
Initial plans were to install 139 weather cameras in Alaska by 2014.[49]
Taquan Air is one of several local services to provide air tours of the nearbyMisty Fjords National Monument. These flights are associated with the cruise line industry that brings close to a million tourists each Summer to Ketchikan with its 7,000 residents.[50]Adventure guide Inside Passage and Coastal Alaska states, "One of the amazing things about floatplanes is just how smooth <takeoffs> are...unless you're looking out the window and see that there isn't a wake from the floats anymore, it's hard to know you're even in the air." The air tour typically takes two to four hours. The tour goes from seashore up into the mountains and back, during which time the floatplane lands on water in a remote area, and tourists step out on the plane's pontoon.[51]
In May 2019, two Taquan flights were involved in fatality accidents one week apart. After the second crash on May 20, the NTSB initiated a separate overall investigation of Taquan Air in addition to the accident investigations; the airline declined to comment.[52] Taquan Air suspended all flights on May 21.[53][54]
Amid increased oversight by the FAA, Taquan resumed limited cargo service on May 23,[55] scheduled passenger flights on May 31, and on-demand sightseeing tours on June 3, 2019.[56]
The Taquan Air fleet consists of oneCessna Caravan, elevende Havilland DHC-2 Beavers, and threede Havilland DHC-3T Turbo Otters[60][61] certified underFAR part 135 (Air Taxi Operators and Commercial Operators of Small Aircraft).
Taquan Air operates scheduled service to the following destinations in Alaska (as of February 2011[update]):[62][63]
Other destinations in Alaska (not on schedule as of June 2009):[35][63]
Taquan, meaning "village by the sea" in the Alaska Native Tsimshian language
By 1989, Taquan Air was the second largest air taxi service in Alaska, with seven aircraft, 45 employees, and $2.1 million in sales.
<Kootznoowoo, Inc> is theANCSA Corporation for the village of Angoon, aTlingit community of great antiquity.
...second only to Anchorage's Era Aviation in terms of passenger count for small, scheduled air-carriers...
September 1997 COVER: 1997 NATIVE CORP REVIEW - Matthew Nikolai, Calista Corp., Will May, Tanana Chiefs, Jerry Scudero, Taquan Air pictured on the cover
Altogether, Taquan Air is considered the world's largest floatplane operator.
The Spirit of Juneau, one of the airplanes to be used in the new regional airline, AirOne, was to be dedicated today by Juneau Mayor Dennis Egan at a special ceremony at Juneau Airport.
AirOne will begin service May 1 between Ketchikan and several cities including Juneau, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka and Klawock on Prince of Wales Island.
A new regional air carrier began service Monday...
The company said it was the first fatal accident involving a passenger in 21 years.
Declining timber sales, from a depressed market and depleted timber on Kootznoowoo's lands, have caused a precipitous decline in the corporation's fortunes.
Smith told shareholders the current downturn in the timber market comes at a particularly bad time for Kootznoowoo. It means there is less capital available for new investments..."We have already distributed most of our wealth from timber," Smith said...The recent decline in the fish market has left Angoon's economy in tatters...
...the timber market is poor right now...Jack Phelps, executive director of the Alaska Forest Association...transportation companies..have...been hurt by the village corporations' downturn...The effect is very widespread," Phelps said.
Ketchikan economist Kent Miller said jobs in the wood products industry have dropped from 903 in 1996 to 139 in 2004.
'...traffic has gone well below the traffic we projected for the fall and winter season,' Laurance said...Profits were solid when service began last June...
Taquan Air Service is shutting down its Sitka operations at the end of this month.
The board of directors of Kootznoowoo Inc. decided to buy the second half of Taquan Air Service, a company the corporation half owned since 1997.
...in late 1999...Kootznoowoo purchased controlling interest in Taquan Air.
Other carriers will try to fill the gap in flight services, but these small carriers probably will not replace all 80 jobs cut by Taquan.
Alaska Cruises: The Ketchikan-based tour company experienced difficulties in 2000 after a good 1999 season because of Taquan Air's bankruptcy.
...lodge owners and cruise lines are looking for other ways to transport their clients after the virtual shutdown of Ketchikan's largest local air carrier.
<In 2000> the corporation...put...$1.3 million in escrow to finalize the liquidation of Taquan Air...
Salazar grew up in his family's aviation business, Ketchikan Air, which operated for more than three decades.
<Michael Salazar, father of Brien Salazar was> president of Ketchikan Air Service Inc. from 1969-1997...
Frank Cox, SBA's Alaska director, says Taquan air's founder was selected on the basis of his company's growth and development.
I was flown along with other SBA state and territorial award winners to Washington D.C. to be honored in SBA functions and a visit with President Bush.
<Sen Stevens> was the one that convinced congress to provide funding for our Medallion Foundation
Sen. Ted Stevens presented Medallion Foundation Awards to several Alaska air carriers...
Senator Stevens (left) and FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell (right) present the Medallion Shield to Taquan Air president and CEO Brien Salazar. Photograph courtesy Alaska Air Carriers Association.
Taquan Air is recognized as one of the most successful floatplane operations in Alaska.
The cruise-ship company has cut off Taquan Air tours at this time, Princess spokeswoman Julie Benson said in a prepared statement.
Misty Fjords Flightseeing, run by Taquan Air...has been running trips into Misty forever.
Everyone gets a window seat aboard the floatplanes that run these flightseeing jaunts over mysterious, primordial Misty Fjords National Monument...
Johnson said two investigations were launched: One into the fatal crash itself, and another into Taquan Air. The investigations launched Monday, he said, will remain - on the NTSB's end - completely separate from any investigations into the fatal Ketchikan-area crash that happened a week ago.
